Echocardiography

An abnormal echocardiogram: Image shows a midmuscular ventricular septal defect. The trace in the lower left shows the cardiac cycle and the red mark the time in the cardiac cycle when the image was captured. Colors are used to represent the velocity and direction of blood flow.

Echocardiography is a non-invasive diagnostic imaging technique that uses ultrasound waves to produce visual images of the heart. It includes two-dimensional (2D), three-dimensional (3D), and Doppler ultrasound techniques, providing a wealth of information about the structure and function of the heart.

Types of Echocardiography

Two-Dimensional Echocardiography

2D echocardiography generates a flat image of a section of the heart, providing details of its internal structures.

Three-Dimensional Echocardiography

3D echocardiography produces a detailed and realistic image of the heart, offering a more comprehensive view of its structures and functionality.

Doppler Echocardiography

Doppler echocardiography measures the speed and direction of blood flow within the heart, highlighting areas with abnormal blood flow patterns, such as those resulting from damaged heart valves.

Clinical Applications

Echocardiography can detect a variety of heart conditions and abnormalities, including:

Areas of heart muscle with poor contractility due to inadequate blood supply or previous heart attack. Possible blood clots within the heart. Fluid accumulation in the pericardium, the sac surrounding the heart. Aortic problems, as the aorta is the main artery that transports oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the body.

Procedure

During an echocardiogram, a technician places a transducer that emits high-frequency sound waves onto the patient's chest. These sound waves bounce off the heart structures, and the returning echoes are converted into images on a screen.

Limitations and Risks

Echocardiography is a safe procedure with minimal risks. However, it may not provide accurate information in patients with certain conditions, like obesity or lung disease, which can interfere with the transmission of sound waves.

See Also

• Cardiac Stress Test
• Cardiac MRI
• Cardiac Catheterization

External links

• VIRTUAL TEE – online self-study and teaching resource
• VIRTUAL Transthoracic Echocardiography - online self-study and teaching resource
• Echobasics – free online echocardiography tutorial
• CT2TEE – transesophageal echocardiography simulator

Echocardiography Resources
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